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Whipple Surgery for Chronic Pancreatitis

My wife has chronic pancreatitis. Her sphincter muscle has been cut twice, and multiple stents have been introduced in the duct, but she still has a lot of pain and has been fighting this for more than three years. Her doctor suggested a Whipple surgery. Would that end the pain?

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Surgery is considered for patients with chronic pancreatitis if they have intractable pain or stents haven't improved the narrowing of their pancreatic duct. In a Whipple operation, the head of the pancreas and some of the small bowel and stomach are removed (although different surgeons perform variations of this procedure). Other operations for chronic pancreatitis include the Puestow procedure, in which the pancreatic duct is attached to the second part of the small intestine (jejunum), and the Frey's procedure, which is similar to the Puestow except that the head of the pancreas is usually removed as well.

Any type of surgery carries the potential for risk. The major risks of Whipple surgery include up to a 1 percent mortality rate and such acute complications as abscess, infection, pneumonia, and abdominal obstruction. Long-term risks can include poor food absorption (particularly because of bacterial overgrowth in the blind loop created by the surgery), diarrhea, and partial small bowel obstructions. However, up to 80 percent of patients who undergo this type of surgery experience significant pain relief.

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